E74: Microsoft Recognizes the Xbox 360's Other Problem

By Jared Newman | Tuesday, April 14, 2009 at 11:38 am

“Red Ring of Death” has worked its way so thoroughly into gamer lexicon that it’s comical to watch Microsoft work around the terminology. Perhaps the company’s talking heads will have an easier time with “E74,” a different system killing hardware issue whose moniker is so succinct it’ll probably stick. But I digress.

Microsoft’s Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb acknowledged this new hardware issue today, announcing that the infamous three-year Xbox 360 warranty will extend its coverage to include E74 along with the “three flashing lights error,” as Hryb calls it. The warranty began in the summer of 2007 in response to Red Ring issues and is good for three years from the purchase of an Xbox 360 console. In addition to covering new E74 repairs, Microsoft will retroactively reimburse anyone who has paid the company to fix the problem. Checks will go out before July 1.

Joystiq has been covering the E74 issue since complaints emerged in greater numbers this year. They believe the problem stems from a faulty solder on the ANA/HANA scaling chip in HDMI models. Lines across the screen or snowy interference typically preceed the fatal error message, which is accompanied by one flashing red light (Quadrant of Death?). Microsoft has not described the nature of the problem except to call it a “general hardware failure.”

Chances are, the company won’t elaborate. Microsoft has claimed that the Red Ring of Death debacle hasn’t hurt the brand, and was reluctant to come clean on the problem for some time, so I imagine the company is tackling this issue with the same bravado. Maybe brand loyalty is okay for the Xbox 360, but Sony would be wise to store these issues in its memory banks for the next round of console wars.

14 Comments

Read more: Gaming, Red Ring of Death, Xbox 360

11 Comments For This Post

L1A Says:
April 14th, 2009 at 1:09 pm

This console is so much fail. Only reason it’s still around, because of Microsoft’s massive cash amount. But on the brighter side it does reflect the product quality of Microsoft. 😉

Marc Says:
April 14th, 2009 at 2:59 pm

Good. I spent hours on the end to some jobsworth in India who wouldn’t let me get it fixed for free. Glad I didn’t pay the rip off fee of £80 to get it fixed.

Tom B Says:
April 14th, 2009 at 3:06 pm

They should simply exit the console business. As has been pointed out recently in this forum, the division is almost 20 billion dollars in the hole. While the XBox division has eked out a small profit in recent quarters, I don’t expect another Halo-like blockbuster to magically appear, and they WILL need to to sink big bucks into the next gen console pretty soon if they want to stay in the game. They aren’t going to go anywhere with movie downloads, because the unit is noisy, and the other options (AppleTV, Netflix) are too compelling. And the Xbox cannibalizes the ONE segment of the PC industry where MSFT had been really competitive– PC games–if you have an XBox, maybe you DON’T also need a fancy “gamer” PC– maybe a no-profit “netbook” with Ubuntu will do.

Mike Says:
April 14th, 2009 at 3:16 pm

Comment for L1A if Fail = higher average title sold per console over Wii and PS3 then I will take it. Doesnt sound like failure to me. Remember Microsoft hasn’t been in the console market as long as some of the other players but I think they are holding their own. Does anyone remember the original Nintendo you had to prop something in between the game and the console to make it work. Come on at least Microsoft came forward and is covering for the issues.

Backlin Says:
April 14th, 2009 at 5:09 pm

ROFL, E74 isn’t as catchy as “Red Ring of Death”.

It doesn’t affect me (I got a console with no HDMI ports on it, from one of the first production lots; still working) so I don’t have to spend time sending it in, but I have the one problem that the warranty won’t cover; faulty optical drive.

L1A Says:
April 14th, 2009 at 8:40 pm

Mike they also had year head start which means more games sold, even if they sold less games per console, Xbox problems would still be there. They are covering for problems that shouldn’t be there in the 1st place if they didn’t try to cut corners to get their system out year early.

Marc Says:
April 15th, 2009 at 2:57 am

The problem is Microsoft went about designing the console like a software engineer. They released a version 1.0 product with lots of bugs. The problem is you can’t easily patch hardware as you can software, and users get peed off when they have to pay to fix a broken piece of kit.

If I remember the PS2 had reliability issues to begin with. Not as bad as the 360, but still it shows that it doesn’t mean the end – if the company deals with it well.

Mike Says:
April 15th, 2009 at 11:34 am

Marc, you can’t release software with a lot of bugs? Why is Gmail still in Beta? How many years has it been? What about automobiles they are huge culprit releasing products with a huge amount of issues and they only cover the ones that have a possibility of harming individuals. At least MS came forward and covers those issues. It is hilarious that when a company like MS has an issue with a product everyone is quick to jump down their throat. I don’t think you will see consoles coming out as quickly anymore like we used to see.

mitch Says:
August 9th, 2009 at 2:52 pm

I have purchased 8 360s since launch and they have all died my last one was an Elite and I was told it had a falcon chip and it should not have PRblems but it only lasted 6 months. I would not take one now if it was free

Jack Says:
October 13th, 2009 at 10:04 pm

10/13/2009

SUMMARY OF XBOX E74 ERROR AND REPAIR ISSUES
MICROSOFT XBOX IS BAD NEWS

Ø 9/20/09, AFTER NOT USING XBOX FOR 2 DAY, TURNED IT ON AND GOT AN E74 ERROR ON MY SCREEN AND THE BOTTOM RIGHT LIGHT WAS RED.
o WENT TO XBOX WEBSITE TO LOOK UP ERROR CODE. SITE SUGGESTED A FEW RESTARTS, AND IF THAT DIDN’T WORK, IT WOULD NEED TO BE REPAIRED. I TRIED THE RESTARTS, BUT THE PROBLEM PERSISTED.
o I CONTINUED TO USE THE XBOX WEBSITE TO TRY AND FIGURE OUT A SOLUTION THROUGH WEBSITE SUPPORT HOME, REPAIR YOUR CONSOLE. AFTER PLUGGING IN MY SERIAL NUMBER, THE SITE INDICATED THAT I WAS NO LONG UNDER WARRANTY FOR THIS PROBLEM. AS I RECALL, THE SITE ADVISED ME THAT IF I HAD 3 RED LIGHTS, REPAIR MIGHT HAVE BEEN COVERED.
o NOWHERE ON THE SERVICE SCREEN DID IT INDICATE THAT AN E74 CODE WAS AN AUTOMATIC EXTENDED WARRANTY, WHICH IS WHAT I LEARNED AFTER OPENING THE CASE. I WOULD NEVER HAVE OPENED THE CASE IF I KNEW THAT I WAS UNDER WARRANTY AND THAT THIS WAS COVERED. THE WEBSITE DID NOT ACCURATELY STATE THIS – AND HAS CUASED ME TO BE IN THE POSITION I AM IN TODAY. A RETURNED BROKEN UNIT 3 WEEKS AFTER I SENT IT IN.
o APPARENTLY MY PLUGGING IN THIS INFORMATION, I GENERATED A SERVICE REQUEST NUMBER. I DID NOT REALIZE THIS AT THE TIME.

AT THIS POINT, AND BASED ON THE INFORMATION PROVIDED ON THE XBOX WEBSITE, I WAS UNDER THE ASSUMPTION THAT XBOX WAS NOT GOING TO HELP ME. I LOOKED UP VARIOUS SITE ON E74 REPAIRS (THERE ARE MANY), AND DECIDED TO OPEN THE OUTER BLACK COVER OF MY XBOX AND SEE WHAT WAS IN THERE. BY REMOVING THE COVER (I WAS ACTUALLY ONLY ABOUT 60% REMOVED), IT WAS NECESSARY TO BREAK THE XBOX SEAL. AGAIN, AS THE XBOX SITE INDICATED THAT I WAS ON MY OWN, I DID NOT HESITATE. ONCE I WAS ABLE TO SEE WHAT WAS UNDER THE OUTER COVER, I SAW THE SHINY INNER UNIT WITH THE TORQUE SCREWS; I DECIDED THAT THERE WAS NO WAY THAT I HAD ANY BUSINESS TRYING TO FIX IT. I PUT THE PARTIAL OUTER CASE BACK ON. I DID NOTHING BEYONE PARIAL REMOVAL OF THE EXTERIOR CASE.

Ø 9/21/09, I CALLED XBOX TO SPEAK WITH TECHNICAL SUPPORT. IT WAS MY INITIAL INTENT TO ASK ABOUT BUYING ANOTHER UNIT (NOT AN ELITE) AND STILL BEING ABLE PLUG MY OLD HARD DRIVE INTO IT. I TOLD THE GENTLEMAN ON THE PHONE MORE INFO ON THE UNIT AND ABOUT THE PROBLEM.
o HE SAID THAT IF I HAD AN E74 CODE, THAT THERE WAS AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR THIS ISSUE, AND THAT IT WOULD BE REPAIRED AT NO COST TO ME.
o HE ADVISED ME THAT I HAD ALREADY STARTED A SERVICE REQUEST THE PREVIOUS NIGHT WHEN I WAS ONLINE.
o I EXPLAINED TO HIM THAT WHEN I WAS ON THE XBOX SITE, IT INDICATED THAT I HAD NO WARRANTY, EVEN WITH THE E74 PROPBLEM. I WENT ON TO EXPLAIN EXACTLY WHAT I HAD DONE IN PARTIALLY REMOVING THE CASE. HE INDICATED THAT THIS SHOULD NOT BE AN ISSUE, AND THAT I SHOULD SEND IT IN. I ASKED HIM TO PLEASE NOTE THAT I HAD OPENED THE OUTER CASE ON THE SERVICE REQUEST FILE, OR WHATEVER FILE XBOX KEEPS ON THIS STUFF.
Ø I SENT THAT XBOX BACK UPS THE SAME DAY (9/21), ALONG WITH A LETTER THAT SPECIFICALLY EXPLAINED MY PROBLEM, MY CHECKING THE XBOX WEBSITE THAT INDICATED I HAD NO COVERAGE, MY OPENING THE OUTER PLASTIC CASE BUT WENT NO FURTHER – DID NOTHING TO ACTUAL UNIT, THAT THE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE TOLD ME THAT THE E74 CODE GAVE ME AN EXTENDED WARRANTY AND THAT THE REPAIR WOULD NOT COST ME ANYTHING, AND THEN RESTATED THAT I TALKED TO THE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRENTATIVE ABOUT PARTIALLY OPENING THE OUTER COVER, AND THAT THE XBOX AGENT DID NOT THINK THIS WOULD INVALIDATE MY WARRANTY. I ALSO STATED THAT “REGARDLESS, THIS UNIT IS BROKEN AND NEEDS SOME KIND OF ATTENTION”. I ALSO PROVIDE MY NAME, ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER, AND EMAIL ADDRESS.
Ø 9/24 – THROUGH UPS TRACKING I SAW THAT THE UNIT WAS DELIVERED TO THE REPAIR CENTER IN TEXAS.
Ø 9/28 – THE XBOX REPAIR STATUS INDICATED THAT THE UNIT WAS UNDER REPAIR.
Ø 9/29 – I RECEIVED A HAPPY EMAIL FROM XBOX SERVICE THAT “WE ARE HAPPY TO LET YOU KNOW THAT YOUR REQUEST TO HAVE YOUR CONSOLE REPAIRED IS NOW COMPLETE AND WE ARE PREPARING TO SHIP YOUR CONSOLE BACK TO YOU”.
Ø 9/29 – RECEIVED ANOTHER EMAIL FROM SERVICE SAYING THAT MY CONSOLE HAS BEEN SHIPPED BACK TO ME, AND IT GAVE A UPS TRACKING NUMBER.
Ø 10/1- AFTER WATCHING THE UPS WEBSITE, I SAW THAT THE UNIT STILL HAD NOT BEEN PICKED UP. I CALLED XBOX SUPPORT AND WAS TOLD THAT, NO, IT HAD NOT YET SHIPPED, BUT I WOULD STILL HAVE IT BACK WITHIN THE 3 WEEK WINDOW OF TIME THAT XBOX TALKS ABOUT.
Ø 10/2 – I BELIEVE THE UNIT WAS PICKED UP BY UPS FROM YOUR SERVICE CENTER.
Ø 10/8 – THE UNIT WAS DELIVERED TO MY HOUSE.
o THE UNIT HAD A LETTER STATING THAT “AN INSPECION OF MY CONSOLE HAS REVEALED THAT DAMAGE EXCLUDED FROM THAT COVERED BY XBOX LIMITED WARRANTY – SECTION E.
o THE LETTER WENT ON TO GIVE ME A LIST OF “ITEM E EXCLUSIONS”, BUT DID NOT INDICATE WHICH IF ANY OF THESE ITEMS I HAVE ALLEDGEDLY VIOLATED.
o THE LETTER FURTHER WENT ON TO SAY, AND I FIND THIS FASICATING – “MICROSOFT IS UNABLE TO OFFER REPAIR SERVCIES FOR THE DAMAGE SUSTAINED BY YOUR XBOX CONSOLE. THEREFORE, THE CONSOLE IS BEING RETURNED TO YOU AS-IS, NOT REPAIRED”.
Ø 10/8 – I CALLED XBOX REGARDING THIS LETTER AND LACK OF SERVICE. SPOKE WITH SOMEONE USING THE NAME OF RYAN. I WAS QUICKLY ESCALATED TO A RESOLUTION PERSON GOING BY THE NAME OF BETH.
o I EXPLAINED TO BETH THAT I WAS NOT AT ALL HAPPY, AND ALSO EXPLAINED MY INITIAL CONVERSIONS ABOUT THIS E74 GOING BY TO 9/21.
o I WAS ASKED IF I KNEW WHY I WAS DENIED. MY ANSWER WAS NO, THAT I HAD A LONG LIST OF SECTION E EXCLUSION, BUT THAT THE LETTER FROM SERVICE DID NOT SPECIFIY.
o I WAS TOLD THAT THE RESOLUTION GROUP AND THE SERVICE GROUP WOULD CONFER ABOUT THIS CASE AND I WOULD BE CALLED IN THREE TO FIVE BUSINESS DAYS TO TALK ABOUT IT MORE.
o I THEN ASKED IF THE PERSON I SPOKE WITH ON 9/21 ABOUT THE REPAIR DID MAKE NOTE ON THE RECORDS OF THIS CASE THAT I HAD OPENED THE CASE, AND SHE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT YES, THAT INFORMATION WAS IN THE FILE.
o I THEN ASKED SPECIFICALLY WHY I WAS DENIED REPAIR, AND I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS “TAMPERING”.

Ø 10/10 – SIGNED ONTO MY WINDOWS LIVE ACCOUNT. AMAZING, I AM NOW SHOWN AS HAVING A WARRANTY THAT EXPIRES ON 12/27/2009. VERY INTERESTING, AS WHEN I FIRST STARTED THIS PROCESS BACK ON SEPTEMBER 20TH, I WAS SHOWN AS BEING OUT OF WARRANTY. THIS EVEN CONTINUED TO SHOW UP DURING THE REPAIR PROCESS. VERY INTERESTING THAT MY WARRANTY STATUS HAS BEEN CHANGED AFTER BEING DENIED WARRANTY SERVICE. COULD THIS BE COVERING UP TRACKS?

Ø 10/13 – HAD A VOICEMAIL ON MY PHONE FROM A RESOLUTION SPECIALIST STATING THAT THEIR RECORDS NOW INDICATE THAT THERE WERE VISABLE PRY MARKS FOUND AT THE BACK OF MY CONSOLE, FURTHER SERVICE DENIED. NO KIDDING. I TOLD THEM THAT I HAD OPENED THE OUTER CASE ON MY INITIAL PHONE CALL OF 9/20.

Ø 10/13 – CALLED XBOX SERVICE AGAIN, GOT ESCALLATED AGAIN. THIS WAS ABOUT A ONE-HOUR PHONE CALL. I WAS TOLD SOMETHING ABOUT A POWER CORD CONNECTION THAT WAS MESSED UP ON THE BACK OF MY UNIT. THAT ONE DOESN’T MAKE ANY SENSE TO ME.

o I POINTED OUT TO THIS SPECIALIST WHAT I HAD TOLD ALL OTHERS, THAT I HAD CALLED XBOX AFTER I HAD DETERMINED FROM THE INFORMATION I FOUND ON THEIR SITE, THAT MY UNIT WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. OPENED OUTER CASE, WENT TO FUTHER. TALKED TO SUPPORT AND WAS TOLD THAT AN E74 WAS INDEED COVERED, AND THAT I TOLD THEM RIGHT UP FRONT, AND SENT A LETTER TO SERVICE STATING WHAT I HAD DONE.
o AFTER CONINTUALLY POINTING OUT THE MISINFORMATION I RECEIVED FROM THE REPAIR WEBSITE, THAT I OPENED THE OUTER CASE ONLY BECAUSE I WAS FIRMLY CONVINCED THAT I HAD NO WARRANTY. THIS IS DECEPTION ON THE PART OF MICROSOFT / XBOX.
o I STATED THAT MY OPENING THE OUTER CASE AFTER EXPERIENCING THE RED LIGHT AND E74 ERROR SURELY DID NOT CUASE THE ERROR IN THE FIRST PLACE, AS THE CASE WAS OPENED AFTER THE PROBLEM OCCURRED ON IT’S OWN.
o I WAS TOLD THAT “ANY” UNIT SENT TO SERVICE WITH A SO CALLED “TAMPERING” ISSUE IS AUTOMATICALLY NOT REPAIRED, NO MATTER WHAT THE CIRCUMSTANCE.
o I TOLD THE REPRESENTATIVE THAT I WOULD BE SATISFIED IF THEY REFUNDED MY XBOX 360 PURCHASE, OR SENT ME A NEW UNIT. I WAS TOLD THAT COMPANY POLICY HAD NO SUCH PROVISION – MEANING, SORRY, BUT YOU ARE SCREWED.

10/13 – I WISH TO BRING FORWARD THE FOLLOWING INCONSISTANCES AND FLAWS THAT I SEE FROM XBOX ON THIS MATTER.
o WHY DID THE WEBSITE NOT INDICATE THAT AN E74 AND ONE RED LIGHT WERE REASON FOR THIS BEING COVERED AS A XBOX FLAW THAT WOULD BE FIXED FREE OF CHARGE? THE SITE ONLY MENTIONED THAT THREE LIGHTS WOULD BE REPAIRED. (THIS IS THE PRIMARY REASON I KNOW HAVE THIS PROBLEM WITH YOU)?
o THE CUSTOMER SERVICE GUY ON 9/21 INDICATED THAT I WAS COVERED DUE TO THE E74 PROBLEM. AGAIN – GO BACK TO MY FIRST STATEMENT – THE WEBSITE DID NOT INDICATE THIS. WHY DID HE SAY THAT I SHOULD BE COVERED, EVEN THOUGH I BROKE THE COVER SEAL?
o WHY DID THE INTIAL REPRESENTATIVE HAVE ME SEND THIS UNIT IN FOR SERVICE, BEING THAT SERVICE ABSOLUTELY WILL NOT TOUCH A UNIT WHERE THE OUTER CASE HAS BEEN OPENED (PERHAPS HE DIDN’T KNOW, PERHAPS THIS IS SOMETHING ONLY THE ESCALLATION PEOPLE ARE AWARD OF).
o WHY DID THE REPAIR STATUS FROM YOUR WEBSITE INDICATE THAT MY UNIT HAD BEEN REPAIRED.
o WHY DID I RECEIVE AN EMAIL FROM XBOX SAYING THAT MY CONSOLE HAD BEEN REPAIRED?
o I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT THE REPAIR DEPARMENT READ MY LETTER STATING ALL CONVERSATIONS WITH XBOX REPRESENTATIVES, AND THAT I HAD PARTIALLY OPENED THE EXTERIOR COVER (WHICH BROKE THE SEAL), AND THAT XBOX KNEW THAT BEFORE I EVEN SHIPPED THE CONSOLE TO YOU.
o WHY DIDN’T SOMEONE CONTACT ME TO ADVISE OF ANY PROBLEMS?
o HOW ON EARTH COULD THE REPAIR DEPARTMENT WRITE A LETTER SAYING THAT IT COULD NOT OFFER REPAIR SERVICE FOR DAMAGE SUSTAINED? I DO NOT BELIEVE THE REPAIR CENTER WENT ANY FURTHER THAN LOOKING AT THE BROKEN SEAL. THIS IS NOT AN EVALUATE OF THE PROBLEM OR SOLUTION.
o IN MY LETTER I STATED THAT I NEEDED REPAIR REGARDLESS, WHY DIDN’T SOMEONE CALL ME.
o WHY DID MY CONSOLE SIT IN LIMBO WAITING FOR SHIPPING FOR FOUR DAYS?
o IF THIS IS MY FAULT, WHY ISN’T XBOX CHARGING ME FOR SHIPPING TO AND FROM?
o I BOUGHT THIS UNIT FOR $399. THEY NOW SELL FOR $299.

I FEEL THAT XBOX HANDLED THIS WRONG FROM START TO FINISH. FROM AN INACURATE WEBSITE WITH INCORRECT INFORMATION. THE ONLY PERSON THAT MADE SENSE ON THIS WHOLE DEAL WAS THE GENTLEMAN I SPOKE WITH ON 9/21. EVERYTING ELSE IS DECEPTIVE, IRRATIONAL, INCOMPETENT, AND IMMORAL.

I LOOK FORWARD TO THE CONVERSATION WITH THE XBOX RESOLUTION PERSON, AND I BELIEVE IT IS TO BE A CONFERENCE CALL TO INCLUDE SOMEONE FROM THE SERVICE GROUP. NOTE THE FOLLOWING:
Ø IF XBOX COMMITS TO FULFILLING THEIR OBLIGATION, AND PROVIDES ME WITH A FUNCTIONAL UNIT THAT HAS SUBSTANTIAL LIFE REMAING, I AM WILLING TO FORGIVE XBOX FOR THEIR DECEPTION AND TRICKERY.
Ø IF XBOX ELECTS TO DENY PROPER WARRANTY SERVICE AS MENTIONED ABOVE, XBOX HAS CHOOSEN TO STATE BY IMPROPER AND IMMORAL POLICY. THIS IS NOT TOLERABLE. IN RESPONSE, I SHALL AT A MINIMUM:
o SEND OUT IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF 250 – 500 EMAILS THAT WILL INCLUDE THIS SUMMARY, AND THE RESULTS OF THE CONVERSATION WITH XBOX RESOLUTION PERSON AND SUPPORT PERSON. THE AUDIOTAPE MAY BE INCLUDED IF APPROPRIATE. THERE ARE AN AMAZING AMOUNT OF CONTACTS FOR MICROSOFT, I WILL ALSO SEEK OUT LEGAL FIRMS THAT MIGHT TAKE INTEREST WITH THIS INFORMATION, AND MEDIA SOURCES.
o I WILL POST THIS SUMMARY TO A MINIMUM OF 100 WEBSITE THAT DEAL WITH MICROSOFT HARDWARE FAILURES, INCLUDING MICROSOFT AND XBOX SITES.
o I WILL ATTEMPT TO REACH AT LEAST 50 MICROSOFT EMPLOYEES PRIMARILY FROM MICROSOFT WEBSITES IN AN ATTEMPT TO DISCUSS THIS SITUATION.

INTERESTING INFORMATION (JUST OF VERY SMALL AMOUNT) OF THE HORROR STORIES RELATED TO MICROSOFT / XBOX, AND THIS FLAWED PRODUCT:

SINCE MY 10/8 RECIEPT OF THIS CONSOLE AND ACCOMPANIED LETTER, I HAVE PERFORMED SOME RESEARCH ON XBOX 360. VERY INTERESTING INFORMATION ON THIS PRODUCT. PLEASE NOTE SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF MY FINDINGS, AND PERHAPS THIS INFORMATION IS NOT DEAD ON ACCURATE, I BELIEVE IT IS CLOSE, AND MICROSOFT AND XBOX ARE WELL AWARE OF IT.
Ø XBOX 360 – NOW AT SOMEWHERE AROUND 54.2% FAILURE RATE FROM RED RING OF DEATH, E74, AND OTHER HARDWARE FAILURES (JOYSTIQ.COM). THIS PERCENTAGE IS PROBABLY LOW, AND THE E-74 ISSUES ARE SKYROCKETING RIGHT NOW.
Ø SURVEY PARTICIPANTS PIN MICROSOLF FOR HAVE THE LEAST HELPFUL SERIVE REPRESENTATIVE.
Ø E74 ERROR IS NOW COVERED BY THE RROD’S THREE-YEAR WARANTY, AND MICROSOFT IS SUPPOSED TO BE REFUNDING MONEY TO ANYONE THEY CHARGED FOR THIS FIX PRIOR TO THIS WARRANTY ANNOUNCEMENT.
Ø THERE HAS BEEN LEGAL ACTION ATTEMPTING TO HOLD MICROSOFT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE XBOX 360’S FAILURE RATE AND PROVIDE COMPENSATION FOR THOSE AFFECTED (WIKIPEDIA).
Ø AN E74 ERROR IS CAUSED THERE’S A VIDEO PROBLEM, BECAUSE THE BOX 360 SCALER CHIP IS DAMAGED. AS OF APRIL 14, 2009, THE E74 ERROR IS NOT COVERED BY THE THREE-YEAR EXTENDED WARRANTY. (WIKIPEDIA) SO, DID MY PARITIAL OPENING OF THE PLASTIC OUTER CASE CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE SCALER CHIP????
Ø MICROSOFT HAS NOT RELEASED OFFICIAL STATISTICS ON FAILURE RATES.
Ø JULY 5TH, 2007 – VICE PRESIDENT OF MICROSOFTS INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS PUBLISHED AN OPEN LETTER RECOGNIZING THE CONSOLE’S PROBLEMS, AS WELL AS ANNOUNCING A THREE-YEAR WARRANTY EXTENTION FOR EVERY XBOX WITH THE THREE FLASHING RED LIGHT PROBLEM.
Ø THERE WAS A 32% YEILD OF ONE OF THE TEST PRODUCTION RUNS. 68 OUT OF EVERY 100 TEST UNITS WERE FOUND TO BE DEFECTIVE.
Ø OCTOBER 17TH 2008 A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT WAS FILED IN CALIFORNIA AGAINST MICROSOFT OVER THE RROD PROBLEM.
Ø XBOX 360 PROBLEMS, OVERHEATING OF GPU, CPU, COLD SOLDER JOINT PROBLEMS, INTERCOOLER FAILURES, SOLDER JOINTS OF GPU, CPU, AND MOTHERBOARD BREAKING.
Ø INTOLERANT ELECTRONIC HARDWARE DESIGN, MEANING THAT ONCE THERE IS A FAILURE IN ONE PART OF THE DESIGN, THE ENTIRE SYSTEM WILL STOP. (8BITJOYSTICK.COM)
Ø THE E74 ERROR IS CUASED WHEN THE “ANA” IMAGE SCALER CHIP FAILS, OVERHEAT OR THERE IS SERIOUS AV CONNECTION PROBLEM. THE HOT AIR FLOW FROM THE CPU AND GPU GOES RIGHT OVER THE LOCATION OF THE ANA CHIP SO IT MIGHT BE SLOWLY COOKED BY NORMAL USE.
Ø ABOUT AN INTERVIEW WILL A MICROSOFT PR PERSON – WHAT IS REALLY SAD ABOUT THE RROD AND E74 IS THAT MICROSOFT CAN’T TALK ABOUT IT IN DETAIL BECAUSE OF LEGAL AND COMPETITIVE REASONS. (8BITJOYSTICK.COM).
Ø MICROSOFT TECH DOCUMENT (PER 8BITJOYSTICK.COM)
Ø TECHNICAL DOCUMENT ABOUT THE ERROR: MICROSOFT MADE A LOT OF A FALCON BASED XBOX 360 AND THERE ARE STILL BUNCH OF THEM ON THE STORE SHELVES. WE DON’T KNOW IF THE JASPER WILL BE MORE RESISTANT TO THE E74 ERROR AND WE DON’T KNOW IF MORE FALCON BASED XBOX 360 SYSTEMS WILL CONTINUE TO GET THE E74 HARDWARE FAILURES. THE WEIRD THING IS THAT WE CAN’T TELL IF THE E74 IS A 1 IN 100,000 FAILURE OR 1 IN 1,000 AND THEY ALL STARTED POSTING ON THE INTERNET. EVERYONE HAS SUCH A BAD TASTE IN THEIR MOUTH FROM THE RROD EPIDEMIC THAT MS BETTER BE VERY CARFUL HOW TO DEAL WITH THE E74 ISSUE. I NEVER GOT THE RROD UNTIL I DID AND THAT WAS THE LAST THING MY FIRST XBOX 360 EVERY DID. VIDEO GAMES ARE SUPPOSED TO BE FUN AND HAVING TO WORRY ABOUT PREMATURE AND SUDDEN DEATH OF YOU GAME SYSTEM IS WITHOUT A DOUBT NO FUN. (8BITGOYSTICK.COM).
Ø FROM GAMASUTRA.COM – DATED JULY 18, 2008, MICROSOFT ANNOUNCED IT FOURTH EQUARTER AND FULL FISCAL YEAR RESULTS, SHOWING RECOVERY FROM THE 1.1 BILLION LOSS IN XBOX 360 WARRANTY CHARGES IN 2007, AS IT XBOX DIVISION SEES FIRST EVER YEARLY PROFITS OF 426 MILLION, UP FROM ITS NEARLY 2 BILLION TOTAL LOSS THE YEAR PRIOR.

FOURTH QUARTER LOSSES WERE 188 MILLION, DOWN SHARPLY FROM THE 1.2 BILLION THE YEAR PRIOR THAT RESULTED FROM THE COMPANY EXTENDNIG THE XBOX 360 WARRANTY FROM ONE TO THREE YEARS, AFTER “RED RING” ERRIOR PERSISTED ACROSS NUMEROUS CONSOLES.

Ø FROM DAY ONE, THE XBOX 360 HAD BEEN PLAGUED BY HARDWARE FAILURES. SO MANY FAILURES THAT MICROSOFT ENDED UP PUSHING THE 90-DAY WARRANTY UP TO A FULL YEAR. LESS THAN A YEAR LATER THEY ACKNOWLEDGE THE SYSTEMIC RROD PROBLEM AND ENTENDED REPLACEMENT FOR AFFECTED CONSOLES TO THREE YEARS. THE CULPRIT APPEARS TO BE POOR COOLING OF THE CONSOLES COMPONENTS. COMPONENTS LIKE THE GPU WOULD OVERHEAT CAUSING SOLDER JOINTS TO FIAL. MICROSOFT HAS NEVER OFFICIALLY DISCLOSED WHY THESE SYSTEMS FAIL. (hackaday.com – March 19, 2009).
Ø THERE HAVE BEEN FIVE DIFFERENT MOTHERBOARDS VERSIONS OF XBOX 360 SO FAR. EACH VERSION UPGRADED THE COOLING AND/OR THE SIZE OF THE GPU AND CPU. (hackaday.com – March 19, 2009).
Ø AT FIRST, MICROSOFTS ONLY OFFICIAL STATEMENT WAS THAT THE E74 ERROR WAS AN ISSUE COMPLETELY UNREALTED TO THE RED RING OF DEATH. MICROSOFT ALSO FAILED TO RELEASE ANY OTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THIS ERROR. (enzinearticles.com)
Ø MICROSOFTS TOP GAME EXECUTIVE, ROBBIE BACH, PRESIDENT OF ENTERTAINMENT & DEVICES GROUP, SAID AT A DINNER IN JULY 2008 THAT MICROSOFTS OWN RESEARCH SHOWS THAT GAMERS HAVE LARGELY FORGIVEN THE COMPLANY FOR DEFECTIVE XGBOX 360’S. DEPENDING ON HOW THIS ISSUE (E74) IS HANDLED CURRENT CUSTOMERS MAY NOT BE SO QUICK TO FORGIVE. (dailytech.com)
Ø MICROSOFT HAS BEEN SUED A NUMBER OF TIMES OVER THE RROD PROBLEM – SO IT’S NO SURPRISE THAT LAWYERS WHO WANT TO SUE MICROSOFT ARE OMVESTIGATING THE E74 BUG VERY THOUROUGHLY (venturebeat.com – April 14, 2009).

SUMMARY

MICROSOFT / XBOX HAS A LONG HISTORY OF A POORLY DESIGNED AND TROUBLED PRODUCT. IT WOULD APPEAR THAT HUGE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE WHO BOUGHT THEIR PRODUCT HAVE SUFFERED FROM MICROSOFTS COVERUPS AND DECEIPT. IT WOULD APPEAR THAT THE MICROSOFT BOARD MEMBERS AND ATTORNIES ARE NOT WILLING TO BE FAIR OR MORAL TO THEIR CUSTOMERS.

I SHALL NOW TOSS MICROSOFT XBOX PRODUCT INTO THE TRASH, AS THAT IT CERTAINLY WHERE IT BELONG. MICROSOFT COULD CERTAINLY HAVE FILLED A VERY LARGE LANDFILL, PERHAPS DOZENS, WITH THEIR DEFECTIVE PRODUCTS. MT. MICROSOFT.

I SHALL PROCEED TO SHARE THIS STORY, AS IT IS THE ONLY RESOLUTION THAT REMAINS FOR ME. PERHAPS OTHERS CAN BE SPARED FROM BUYING AN EXTREMELY UNREALIABLE PRODUCT AND BE SPARED THE DISAPPOINTMENT TO FOLLOW.

Ruth Randall Says:
November 27th, 2009 at 7:14 pm

We have had our unit now for about 2 years. 2 days out of warranty last November (2 days, still makes me furious), we got the dreaded E74 error on our unit. I immediately called microsoft per the website instructions and talked with a representative who told me that my unit was out of warranty by 2 days, but they would gladly fix it for $99.00. He said I would have to send the unit in to the company, and being that it was close to the hoidays he couldn’t promise that we would have it back by Christmas. We had gotten our boys new games for the Xbox for Christmas, so after talking with my husband we decided to have someone local that works on the units fix it so we could have it back by Christmas. We had it fixed and it worked good for about a year, now we are having the same problem with it again, plus our wireless controllers will not sync with the unit anymore. Now I find out that they are covering this problem with an extended warranty? I really hate Microsoft right now. If I had known that they were going to cover this, we would never have had someone else try to fix it, and it angers me further to read all these same issues from other xbox owners, over and over and over again, and it took them this long to admit there was an issue with the unit and not the owners. GG Microsoft, keep up the good work! NOT!!!!

3 Trackbacks For This Post

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L1A Says:
April 14th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
This console is so much fail. Only reason it’s still around, because of Microsoft’s massive cash amount. But on the brighter side it does reflect the product quality of Microsoft. 😉
Marc Says:
April 14th, 2009 at 2:59 pm
Good. I spent hours on the end to some jobsworth in India who wouldn’t let me get it fixed for free. Glad I didn’t pay the rip off fee of £80 to get it fixed.
Tom B Says:
April 14th, 2009 at 3:06 pm
They should simply exit the console business. As has been pointed out recently in this forum, the division is almost 20 billion dollars in the hole. While the XBox division has eked out a small profit in recent quarters, I don’t expect another Halo-like blockbuster to magically appear, and they WILL need to to sink big bucks into the next gen console pretty soon if they want to stay in the game. They aren’t going to go anywhere with movie downloads, because the unit is noisy, and the other options (AppleTV, Netflix) are too compelling. And the Xbox cannibalizes the ONE segment of the PC industry where MSFT had been really competitive– PC games–if you have an XBox, maybe you DON’T also need a fancy “gamer” PC– maybe a no-profit “netbook” with Ubuntu will do.
Mike Says:
April 14th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
Comment for L1A if Fail = higher average title sold per console over Wii and PS3 then I will take it. Doesnt sound like failure to me. Remember Microsoft hasn’t been in the console market as long as some of the other players but I think they are holding their own. Does anyone remember the original Nintendo you had to prop something in between the game and the console to make it work. Come on at least Microsoft came forward and is covering for the issues.
Backlin Says:
April 14th, 2009 at 5:09 pm
ROFL, E74 isn’t as catchy as “Red Ring of Death”.

It doesn’t affect me (I got a console with no HDMI ports on it, from one of the first production lots; still working) so I don’t have to spend time sending it in, but I have the one problem that the warranty won’t cover; faulty optical drive.
L1A Says:
April 14th, 2009 at 8:40 pm
Mike they also had year head start which means more games sold, even if they sold less games per console, Xbox problems would still be there. They are covering for problems that shouldn’t be there in the 1st place if they didn’t try to cut corners to get their system out year early.
Marc Says:
April 15th, 2009 at 2:57 am
The problem is Microsoft went about designing the console like a software engineer. They released a version 1.0 product with lots of bugs. The problem is you can’t easily patch hardware as you can software, and users get peed off when they have to pay to fix a broken piece of kit.

If I remember the PS2 had reliability issues to begin with. Not as bad as the 360, but still it shows that it doesn’t mean the end – if the company deals with it well.
Mike Says:
April 15th, 2009 at 11:34 am
Marc, you can’t release software with a lot of bugs? Why is Gmail still in Beta? How many years has it been? What about automobiles they are huge culprit releasing products with a huge amount of issues and they only cover the ones that have a possibility of harming individuals. At least MS came forward and covers those issues. It is hilarious that when a company like MS has an issue with a product everyone is quick to jump down their throat. I don’t think you will see consoles coming out as quickly anymore like we used to see.
mitch Says:
August 9th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
I have purchased 8 360s since launch and they have all died my last one was an Elite and I was told it had a falcon chip and it should not have PRblems but it only lasted 6 months. I would not take one now if it was free
Jack Says:
October 13th, 2009 at 10:04 pm
10/13/2009

SUMMARY OF XBOX E74 ERROR AND REPAIR ISSUES
MICROSOFT XBOX IS BAD NEWS

Ø 9/20/09, AFTER NOT USING XBOX FOR 2 DAY, TURNED IT ON AND GOT AN E74 ERROR ON MY SCREEN AND THE BOTTOM RIGHT LIGHT WAS RED.
o WENT TO XBOX WEBSITE TO LOOK UP ERROR CODE. SITE SUGGESTED A FEW RESTARTS, AND IF THAT DIDN’T WORK, IT WOULD NEED TO BE REPAIRED. I TRIED THE RESTARTS, BUT THE PROBLEM PERSISTED.
o I CONTINUED TO USE THE XBOX WEBSITE TO TRY AND FIGURE OUT A SOLUTION THROUGH WEBSITE SUPPORT HOME, REPAIR YOUR CONSOLE. AFTER PLUGGING IN MY SERIAL NUMBER, THE SITE INDICATED THAT I WAS NO LONG UNDER WARRANTY FOR THIS PROBLEM. AS I RECALL, THE SITE ADVISED ME THAT IF I HAD 3 RED LIGHTS, REPAIR MIGHT HAVE BEEN COVERED.
o NOWHERE ON THE SERVICE SCREEN DID IT INDICATE THAT AN E74 CODE WAS AN AUTOMATIC EXTENDED WARRANTY, WHICH IS WHAT I LEARNED AFTER OPENING THE CASE. I WOULD NEVER HAVE OPENED THE CASE IF I KNEW THAT I WAS UNDER WARRANTY AND THAT THIS WAS COVERED. THE WEBSITE DID NOT ACCURATELY STATE THIS – AND HAS CUASED ME TO BE IN THE POSITION I AM IN TODAY. A RETURNED BROKEN UNIT 3 WEEKS AFTER I SENT IT IN.
o APPARENTLY MY PLUGGING IN THIS INFORMATION, I GENERATED A SERVICE REQUEST NUMBER. I DID NOT REALIZE THIS AT THE TIME.

AT THIS POINT, AND BASED ON THE INFORMATION PROVIDED ON THE XBOX WEBSITE, I WAS UNDER THE ASSUMPTION THAT XBOX WAS NOT GOING TO HELP ME. I LOOKED UP VARIOUS SITE ON E74 REPAIRS (THERE ARE MANY), AND DECIDED TO OPEN THE OUTER BLACK COVER OF MY XBOX AND SEE WHAT WAS IN THERE. BY REMOVING THE COVER (I WAS ACTUALLY ONLY ABOUT 60% REMOVED), IT WAS NECESSARY TO BREAK THE XBOX SEAL. AGAIN, AS THE XBOX SITE INDICATED THAT I WAS ON MY OWN, I DID NOT HESITATE. ONCE I WAS ABLE TO SEE WHAT WAS UNDER THE OUTER COVER, I SAW THE SHINY INNER UNIT WITH THE TORQUE SCREWS; I DECIDED THAT THERE WAS NO WAY THAT I HAD ANY BUSINESS TRYING TO FIX IT. I PUT THE PARTIAL OUTER CASE BACK ON. I DID NOTHING BEYONE PARIAL REMOVAL OF THE EXTERIOR CASE.

Ø 9/21/09, I CALLED XBOX TO SPEAK WITH TECHNICAL SUPPORT. IT WAS MY INITIAL INTENT TO ASK ABOUT BUYING ANOTHER UNIT (NOT AN ELITE) AND STILL BEING ABLE PLUG MY OLD HARD DRIVE INTO IT. I TOLD THE GENTLEMAN ON THE PHONE MORE INFO ON THE UNIT AND ABOUT THE PROBLEM.
o HE SAID THAT IF I HAD AN E74 CODE, THAT THERE WAS AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR THIS ISSUE, AND THAT IT WOULD BE REPAIRED AT NO COST TO ME.
o HE ADVISED ME THAT I HAD ALREADY STARTED A SERVICE REQUEST THE PREVIOUS NIGHT WHEN I WAS ONLINE.
o I EXPLAINED TO HIM THAT WHEN I WAS ON THE XBOX SITE, IT INDICATED THAT I HAD NO WARRANTY, EVEN WITH THE E74 PROPBLEM. I WENT ON TO EXPLAIN EXACTLY WHAT I HAD DONE IN PARTIALLY REMOVING THE CASE. HE INDICATED THAT THIS SHOULD NOT BE AN ISSUE, AND THAT I SHOULD SEND IT IN. I ASKED HIM TO PLEASE NOTE THAT I HAD OPENED THE OUTER CASE ON THE SERVICE REQUEST FILE, OR WHATEVER FILE XBOX KEEPS ON THIS STUFF.
Ø I SENT THAT XBOX BACK UPS THE SAME DAY (9/21), ALONG WITH A LETTER THAT SPECIFICALLY EXPLAINED MY PROBLEM, MY CHECKING THE XBOX WEBSITE THAT INDICATED I HAD NO COVERAGE, MY OPENING THE OUTER PLASTIC CASE BUT WENT NO FURTHER – DID NOTHING TO ACTUAL UNIT, THAT THE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE TOLD ME THAT THE E74 CODE GAVE ME AN EXTENDED WARRANTY AND THAT THE REPAIR WOULD NOT COST ME ANYTHING, AND THEN RESTATED THAT I TALKED TO THE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRENTATIVE ABOUT PARTIALLY OPENING THE OUTER COVER, AND THAT THE XBOX AGENT DID NOT THINK THIS WOULD INVALIDATE MY WARRANTY. I ALSO STATED THAT “REGARDLESS, THIS UNIT IS BROKEN AND NEEDS SOME KIND OF ATTENTION”. I ALSO PROVIDE MY NAME, ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER, AND EMAIL ADDRESS.
Ø 9/24 – THROUGH UPS TRACKING I SAW THAT THE UNIT WAS DELIVERED TO THE REPAIR CENTER IN TEXAS.
Ø 9/28 – THE XBOX REPAIR STATUS INDICATED THAT THE UNIT WAS UNDER REPAIR.
Ø 9/29 – I RECEIVED A HAPPY EMAIL FROM XBOX SERVICE THAT “WE ARE HAPPY TO LET YOU KNOW THAT YOUR REQUEST TO HAVE YOUR CONSOLE REPAIRED IS NOW COMPLETE AND WE ARE PREPARING TO SHIP YOUR CONSOLE BACK TO YOU”.
Ø 9/29 – RECEIVED ANOTHER EMAIL FROM SERVICE SAYING THAT MY CONSOLE HAS BEEN SHIPPED BACK TO ME, AND IT GAVE A UPS TRACKING NUMBER.
Ø 10/1- AFTER WATCHING THE UPS WEBSITE, I SAW THAT THE UNIT STILL HAD NOT BEEN PICKED UP. I CALLED XBOX SUPPORT AND WAS TOLD THAT, NO, IT HAD NOT YET SHIPPED, BUT I WOULD STILL HAVE IT BACK WITHIN THE 3 WEEK WINDOW OF TIME THAT XBOX TALKS ABOUT.
Ø 10/2 – I BELIEVE THE UNIT WAS PICKED UP BY UPS FROM YOUR SERVICE CENTER.
Ø 10/8 – THE UNIT WAS DELIVERED TO MY HOUSE.
o THE UNIT HAD A LETTER STATING THAT “AN INSPECION OF MY CONSOLE HAS REVEALED THAT DAMAGE EXCLUDED FROM THAT COVERED BY XBOX LIMITED WARRANTY – SECTION E.
o THE LETTER WENT ON TO GIVE ME A LIST OF “ITEM E EXCLUSIONS”, BUT DID NOT INDICATE WHICH IF ANY OF THESE ITEMS I HAVE ALLEDGEDLY VIOLATED.
o THE LETTER FURTHER WENT ON TO SAY, AND I FIND THIS FASICATING – “MICROSOFT IS UNABLE TO OFFER REPAIR SERVCIES FOR THE DAMAGE SUSTAINED BY YOUR XBOX CONSOLE. THEREFORE, THE CONSOLE IS BEING RETURNED TO YOU AS-IS, NOT REPAIRED”.
Ø 10/8 – I CALLED XBOX REGARDING THIS LETTER AND LACK OF SERVICE. SPOKE WITH SOMEONE USING THE NAME OF RYAN. I WAS QUICKLY ESCALATED TO A RESOLUTION PERSON GOING BY THE NAME OF BETH.
o I EXPLAINED TO BETH THAT I WAS NOT AT ALL HAPPY, AND ALSO EXPLAINED MY INITIAL CONVERSIONS ABOUT THIS E74 GOING BY TO 9/21.
o I WAS ASKED IF I KNEW WHY I WAS DENIED. MY ANSWER WAS NO, THAT I HAD A LONG LIST OF SECTION E EXCLUSION, BUT THAT THE LETTER FROM SERVICE DID NOT SPECIFIY.
o I WAS TOLD THAT THE RESOLUTION GROUP AND THE SERVICE GROUP WOULD CONFER ABOUT THIS CASE AND I WOULD BE CALLED IN THREE TO FIVE BUSINESS DAYS TO TALK ABOUT IT MORE.
o I THEN ASKED IF THE PERSON I SPOKE WITH ON 9/21 ABOUT THE REPAIR DID MAKE NOTE ON THE RECORDS OF THIS CASE THAT I HAD OPENED THE CASE, AND SHE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT YES, THAT INFORMATION WAS IN THE FILE.
o I THEN ASKED SPECIFICALLY WHY I WAS DENIED REPAIR, AND I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS “TAMPERING”.

Ø 10/10 – SIGNED ONTO MY WINDOWS LIVE ACCOUNT. AMAZING, I AM NOW SHOWN AS HAVING A WARRANTY THAT EXPIRES ON 12/27/2009. VERY INTERESTING, AS WHEN I FIRST STARTED THIS PROCESS BACK ON SEPTEMBER 20TH, I WAS SHOWN AS BEING OUT OF WARRANTY. THIS EVEN CONTINUED TO SHOW UP DURING THE REPAIR PROCESS. VERY INTERESTING THAT MY WARRANTY STATUS HAS BEEN CHANGED AFTER BEING DENIED WARRANTY SERVICE. COULD THIS BE COVERING UP TRACKS?

Ø 10/13 – HAD A VOICEMAIL ON MY PHONE FROM A RESOLUTION SPECIALIST STATING THAT THEIR RECORDS NOW INDICATE THAT THERE WERE VISABLE PRY MARKS FOUND AT THE BACK OF MY CONSOLE, FURTHER SERVICE DENIED. NO KIDDING. I TOLD THEM THAT I HAD OPENED THE OUTER CASE ON MY INITIAL PHONE CALL OF 9/20.

Ø 10/13 – CALLED XBOX SERVICE AGAIN, GOT ESCALLATED AGAIN. THIS WAS ABOUT A ONE-HOUR PHONE CALL. I WAS TOLD SOMETHING ABOUT A POWER CORD CONNECTION THAT WAS MESSED UP ON THE BACK OF MY UNIT. THAT ONE DOESN’T MAKE ANY SENSE TO ME.

o I POINTED OUT TO THIS SPECIALIST WHAT I HAD TOLD ALL OTHERS, THAT I HAD CALLED XBOX AFTER I HAD DETERMINED FROM THE INFORMATION I FOUND ON THEIR SITE, THAT MY UNIT WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. OPENED OUTER CASE, WENT TO FUTHER. TALKED TO SUPPORT AND WAS TOLD THAT AN E74 WAS INDEED COVERED, AND THAT I TOLD THEM RIGHT UP FRONT, AND SENT A LETTER TO SERVICE STATING WHAT I HAD DONE.
o AFTER CONINTUALLY POINTING OUT THE MISINFORMATION I RECEIVED FROM THE REPAIR WEBSITE, THAT I OPENED THE OUTER CASE ONLY BECAUSE I WAS FIRMLY CONVINCED THAT I HAD NO WARRANTY. THIS IS DECEPTION ON THE PART OF MICROSOFT / XBOX.
o I STATED THAT MY OPENING THE OUTER CASE AFTER EXPERIENCING THE RED LIGHT AND E74 ERROR SURELY DID NOT CUASE THE ERROR IN THE FIRST PLACE, AS THE CASE WAS OPENED AFTER THE PROBLEM OCCURRED ON IT’S OWN.
o I WAS TOLD THAT “ANY” UNIT SENT TO SERVICE WITH A SO CALLED “TAMPERING” ISSUE IS AUTOMATICALLY NOT REPAIRED, NO MATTER WHAT THE CIRCUMSTANCE.
o I TOLD THE REPRESENTATIVE THAT I WOULD BE SATISFIED IF THEY REFUNDED MY XBOX 360 PURCHASE, OR SENT ME A NEW UNIT. I WAS TOLD THAT COMPANY POLICY HAD NO SUCH PROVISION – MEANING, SORRY, BUT YOU ARE SCREWED.

10/13 – I WISH TO BRING FORWARD THE FOLLOWING INCONSISTANCES AND FLAWS THAT I SEE FROM XBOX ON THIS MATTER.
o WHY DID THE WEBSITE NOT INDICATE THAT AN E74 AND ONE RED LIGHT WERE REASON FOR THIS BEING COVERED AS A XBOX FLAW THAT WOULD BE FIXED FREE OF CHARGE? THE SITE ONLY MENTIONED THAT THREE LIGHTS WOULD BE REPAIRED. (THIS IS THE PRIMARY REASON I KNOW HAVE THIS PROBLEM WITH YOU)?
o THE CUSTOMER SERVICE GUY ON 9/21 INDICATED THAT I WAS COVERED DUE TO THE E74 PROBLEM. AGAIN – GO BACK TO MY FIRST STATEMENT – THE WEBSITE DID NOT INDICATE THIS. WHY DID HE SAY THAT I SHOULD BE COVERED, EVEN THOUGH I BROKE THE COVER SEAL?
o WHY DID THE INTIAL REPRESENTATIVE HAVE ME SEND THIS UNIT IN FOR SERVICE, BEING THAT SERVICE ABSOLUTELY WILL NOT TOUCH A UNIT WHERE THE OUTER CASE HAS BEEN OPENED (PERHAPS HE DIDN’T KNOW, PERHAPS THIS IS SOMETHING ONLY THE ESCALLATION PEOPLE ARE AWARD OF).
o WHY DID THE REPAIR STATUS FROM YOUR WEBSITE INDICATE THAT MY UNIT HAD BEEN REPAIRED.
o WHY DID I RECEIVE AN EMAIL FROM XBOX SAYING THAT MY CONSOLE HAD BEEN REPAIRED?
o I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT THE REPAIR DEPARMENT READ MY LETTER STATING ALL CONVERSATIONS WITH XBOX REPRESENTATIVES, AND THAT I HAD PARTIALLY OPENED THE EXTERIOR COVER (WHICH BROKE THE SEAL), AND THAT XBOX KNEW THAT BEFORE I EVEN SHIPPED THE CONSOLE TO YOU.
o WHY DIDN’T SOMEONE CONTACT ME TO ADVISE OF ANY PROBLEMS?
o HOW ON EARTH COULD THE REPAIR DEPARTMENT WRITE A LETTER SAYING THAT IT COULD NOT OFFER REPAIR SERVICE FOR DAMAGE SUSTAINED? I DO NOT BELIEVE THE REPAIR CENTER WENT ANY FURTHER THAN LOOKING AT THE BROKEN SEAL. THIS IS NOT AN EVALUATE OF THE PROBLEM OR SOLUTION.
o IN MY LETTER I STATED THAT I NEEDED REPAIR REGARDLESS, WHY DIDN’T SOMEONE CALL ME.
o WHY DID MY CONSOLE SIT IN LIMBO WAITING FOR SHIPPING FOR FOUR DAYS?
o IF THIS IS MY FAULT, WHY ISN’T XBOX CHARGING ME FOR SHIPPING TO AND FROM?
o I BOUGHT THIS UNIT FOR $399. THEY NOW SELL FOR $299.

I FEEL THAT XBOX HANDLED THIS WRONG FROM START TO FINISH. FROM AN INACURATE WEBSITE WITH INCORRECT INFORMATION. THE ONLY PERSON THAT MADE SENSE ON THIS WHOLE DEAL WAS THE GENTLEMAN I SPOKE WITH ON 9/21. EVERYTING ELSE IS DECEPTIVE, IRRATIONAL, INCOMPETENT, AND IMMORAL.

I LOOK FORWARD TO THE CONVERSATION WITH THE XBOX RESOLUTION PERSON, AND I BELIEVE IT IS TO BE A CONFERENCE CALL TO INCLUDE SOMEONE FROM THE SERVICE GROUP. NOTE THE FOLLOWING:
Ø IF XBOX COMMITS TO FULFILLING THEIR OBLIGATION, AND PROVIDES ME WITH A FUNCTIONAL UNIT THAT HAS SUBSTANTIAL LIFE REMAING, I AM WILLING TO FORGIVE XBOX FOR THEIR DECEPTION AND TRICKERY.
Ø IF XBOX ELECTS TO DENY PROPER WARRANTY SERVICE AS MENTIONED ABOVE, XBOX HAS CHOOSEN TO STATE BY IMPROPER AND IMMORAL POLICY. THIS IS NOT TOLERABLE. IN RESPONSE, I SHALL AT A MINIMUM:
o SEND OUT IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF 250 – 500 EMAILS THAT WILL INCLUDE THIS SUMMARY, AND THE RESULTS OF THE CONVERSATION WITH XBOX RESOLUTION PERSON AND SUPPORT PERSON. THE AUDIOTAPE MAY BE INCLUDED IF APPROPRIATE. THERE ARE AN AMAZING AMOUNT OF CONTACTS FOR MICROSOFT, I WILL ALSO SEEK OUT LEGAL FIRMS THAT MIGHT TAKE INTEREST WITH THIS INFORMATION, AND MEDIA SOURCES.
o I WILL POST THIS SUMMARY TO A MINIMUM OF 100 WEBSITE THAT DEAL WITH MICROSOFT HARDWARE FAILURES, INCLUDING MICROSOFT AND XBOX SITES.
o I WILL ATTEMPT TO REACH AT LEAST 50 MICROSOFT EMPLOYEES PRIMARILY FROM MICROSOFT WEBSITES IN AN ATTEMPT TO DISCUSS THIS SITUATION.

INTERESTING INFORMATION (JUST OF VERY SMALL AMOUNT) OF THE HORROR STORIES RELATED TO MICROSOFT / XBOX, AND THIS FLAWED PRODUCT:

SINCE MY 10/8 RECIEPT OF THIS CONSOLE AND ACCOMPANIED LETTER, I HAVE PERFORMED SOME RESEARCH ON XBOX 360. VERY INTERESTING INFORMATION ON THIS PRODUCT. PLEASE NOTE SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF MY FINDINGS, AND PERHAPS THIS INFORMATION IS NOT DEAD ON ACCURATE, I BELIEVE IT IS CLOSE, AND MICROSOFT AND XBOX ARE WELL AWARE OF IT.
Ø XBOX 360 – NOW AT SOMEWHERE AROUND 54.2% FAILURE RATE FROM RED RING OF DEATH, E74, AND OTHER HARDWARE FAILURES (JOYSTIQ.COM). THIS PERCENTAGE IS PROBABLY LOW, AND THE E-74 ISSUES ARE SKYROCKETING RIGHT NOW.
Ø SURVEY PARTICIPANTS PIN MICROSOLF FOR HAVE THE LEAST HELPFUL SERIVE REPRESENTATIVE.
Ø E74 ERROR IS NOW COVERED BY THE RROD’S THREE-YEAR WARANTY, AND MICROSOFT IS SUPPOSED TO BE REFUNDING MONEY TO ANYONE THEY CHARGED FOR THIS FIX PRIOR TO THIS WARRANTY ANNOUNCEMENT.
Ø THERE HAS BEEN LEGAL ACTION ATTEMPTING TO HOLD MICROSOFT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE XBOX 360’S FAILURE RATE AND PROVIDE COMPENSATION FOR THOSE AFFECTED (WIKIPEDIA).
Ø AN E74 ERROR IS CAUSED THERE’S A VIDEO PROBLEM, BECAUSE THE BOX 360 SCALER CHIP IS DAMAGED. AS OF APRIL 14, 2009, THE E74 ERROR IS NOT COVERED BY THE THREE-YEAR EXTENDED WARRANTY. (WIKIPEDIA) SO, DID MY PARITIAL OPENING OF THE PLASTIC OUTER CASE CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE SCALER CHIP????
Ø MICROSOFT HAS NOT RELEASED OFFICIAL STATISTICS ON FAILURE RATES.
Ø JULY 5TH, 2007 – VICE PRESIDENT OF MICROSOFTS INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS PUBLISHED AN OPEN LETTER RECOGNIZING THE CONSOLE’S PROBLEMS, AS WELL AS ANNOUNCING A THREE-YEAR WARRANTY EXTENTION FOR EVERY XBOX WITH THE THREE FLASHING RED LIGHT PROBLEM.
Ø THERE WAS A 32% YEILD OF ONE OF THE TEST PRODUCTION RUNS. 68 OUT OF EVERY 100 TEST UNITS WERE FOUND TO BE DEFECTIVE.
Ø OCTOBER 17TH 2008 A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT WAS FILED IN CALIFORNIA AGAINST MICROSOFT OVER THE RROD PROBLEM.
Ø XBOX 360 PROBLEMS, OVERHEATING OF GPU, CPU, COLD SOLDER JOINT PROBLEMS, INTERCOOLER FAILURES, SOLDER JOINTS OF GPU, CPU, AND MOTHERBOARD BREAKING.
Ø INTOLERANT ELECTRONIC HARDWARE DESIGN, MEANING THAT ONCE THERE IS A FAILURE IN ONE PART OF THE DESIGN, THE ENTIRE SYSTEM WILL STOP. (8BITJOYSTICK.COM)
Ø THE E74 ERROR IS CUASED WHEN THE “ANA” IMAGE SCALER CHIP FAILS, OVERHEAT OR THERE IS SERIOUS AV CONNECTION PROBLEM. THE HOT AIR FLOW FROM THE CPU AND GPU GOES RIGHT OVER THE LOCATION OF THE ANA CHIP SO IT MIGHT BE SLOWLY COOKED BY NORMAL USE.
Ø ABOUT AN INTERVIEW WILL A MICROSOFT PR PERSON – WHAT IS REALLY SAD ABOUT THE RROD AND E74 IS THAT MICROSOFT CAN’T TALK ABOUT IT IN DETAIL BECAUSE OF LEGAL AND COMPETITIVE REASONS. (8BITJOYSTICK.COM).
Ø MICROSOFT TECH DOCUMENT (PER 8BITJOYSTICK.COM)
Ø TECHNICAL DOCUMENT ABOUT THE ERROR: MICROSOFT MADE A LOT OF A FALCON BASED XBOX 360 AND THERE ARE STILL BUNCH OF THEM ON THE STORE SHELVES. WE DON’T KNOW IF THE JASPER WILL BE MORE RESISTANT TO THE E74 ERROR AND WE DON’T KNOW IF MORE FALCON BASED XBOX 360 SYSTEMS WILL CONTINUE TO GET THE E74 HARDWARE FAILURES. THE WEIRD THING IS THAT WE CAN’T TELL IF THE E74 IS A 1 IN 100,000 FAILURE OR 1 IN 1,000 AND THEY ALL STARTED POSTING ON THE INTERNET. EVERYONE HAS SUCH A BAD TASTE IN THEIR MOUTH FROM THE RROD EPIDEMIC THAT MS BETTER BE VERY CARFUL HOW TO DEAL WITH THE E74 ISSUE. I NEVER GOT THE RROD UNTIL I DID AND THAT WAS THE LAST THING MY FIRST XBOX 360 EVERY DID. VIDEO GAMES ARE SUPPOSED TO BE FUN AND HAVING TO WORRY ABOUT PREMATURE AND SUDDEN DEATH OF YOU GAME SYSTEM IS WITHOUT A DOUBT NO FUN. (8BITGOYSTICK.COM).
Ø FROM GAMASUTRA.COM – DATED JULY 18, 2008, MICROSOFT ANNOUNCED IT FOURTH EQUARTER AND FULL FISCAL YEAR RESULTS, SHOWING RECOVERY FROM THE 1.1 BILLION LOSS IN XBOX 360 WARRANTY CHARGES IN 2007, AS IT XBOX DIVISION SEES FIRST EVER YEARLY PROFITS OF 426 MILLION, UP FROM ITS NEARLY 2 BILLION TOTAL LOSS THE YEAR PRIOR.

FOURTH QUARTER LOSSES WERE 188 MILLION, DOWN SHARPLY FROM THE 1.2 BILLION THE YEAR PRIOR THAT RESULTED FROM THE COMPANY EXTENDNIG THE XBOX 360 WARRANTY FROM ONE TO THREE YEARS, AFTER “RED RING” ERRIOR PERSISTED ACROSS NUMEROUS CONSOLES.

Ø FROM DAY ONE, THE XBOX 360 HAD BEEN PLAGUED BY HARDWARE FAILURES. SO MANY FAILURES THAT MICROSOFT ENDED UP PUSHING THE 90-DAY WARRANTY UP TO A FULL YEAR. LESS THAN A YEAR LATER THEY ACKNOWLEDGE THE SYSTEMIC RROD PROBLEM AND ENTENDED REPLACEMENT FOR AFFECTED CONSOLES TO THREE YEARS. THE CULPRIT APPEARS TO BE POOR COOLING OF THE CONSOLES COMPONENTS. COMPONENTS LIKE THE GPU WOULD OVERHEAT CAUSING SOLDER JOINTS TO FIAL. MICROSOFT HAS NEVER OFFICIALLY DISCLOSED WHY THESE SYSTEMS FAIL. (hackaday.com – March 19, 2009).
Ø THERE HAVE BEEN FIVE DIFFERENT MOTHERBOARDS VERSIONS OF XBOX 360 SO FAR. EACH VERSION UPGRADED THE COOLING AND/OR THE SIZE OF THE GPU AND CPU. (hackaday.com – March 19, 2009).
Ø AT FIRST, MICROSOFTS ONLY OFFICIAL STATEMENT WAS THAT THE E74 ERROR WAS AN ISSUE COMPLETELY UNREALTED TO THE RED RING OF DEATH. MICROSOFT ALSO FAILED TO RELEASE ANY OTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THIS ERROR. (enzinearticles.com)
Ø MICROSOFTS TOP GAME EXECUTIVE, ROBBIE BACH, PRESIDENT OF ENTERTAINMENT & DEVICES GROUP, SAID AT A DINNER IN JULY 2008 THAT MICROSOFTS OWN RESEARCH SHOWS THAT GAMERS HAVE LARGELY FORGIVEN THE COMPLANY FOR DEFECTIVE XGBOX 360’S. DEPENDING ON HOW THIS ISSUE (E74) IS HANDLED CURRENT CUSTOMERS MAY NOT BE SO QUICK TO FORGIVE. (dailytech.com)
Ø MICROSOFT HAS BEEN SUED A NUMBER OF TIMES OVER THE RROD PROBLEM – SO IT’S NO SURPRISE THAT LAWYERS WHO WANT TO SUE MICROSOFT ARE OMVESTIGATING THE E74 BUG VERY THOUROUGHLY (venturebeat.com – April 14, 2009).

SUMMARY

MICROSOFT / XBOX HAS A LONG HISTORY OF A POORLY DESIGNED AND TROUBLED PRODUCT. IT WOULD APPEAR THAT HUGE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE WHO BOUGHT THEIR PRODUCT HAVE SUFFERED FROM MICROSOFTS COVERUPS AND DECEIPT. IT WOULD APPEAR THAT THE MICROSOFT BOARD MEMBERS AND ATTORNIES ARE NOT WILLING TO BE FAIR OR MORAL TO THEIR CUSTOMERS.

I SHALL NOW TOSS MICROSOFT XBOX PRODUCT INTO THE TRASH, AS THAT IT CERTAINLY WHERE IT BELONG. MICROSOFT COULD CERTAINLY HAVE FILLED A VERY LARGE LANDFILL, PERHAPS DOZENS, WITH THEIR DEFECTIVE PRODUCTS. MT. MICROSOFT.

I SHALL PROCEED TO SHARE THIS STORY, AS IT IS THE ONLY RESOLUTION THAT REMAINS FOR ME. PERHAPS OTHERS CAN BE SPARED FROM BUYING AN EXTREMELY UNREALIABLE PRODUCT AND BE SPARED THE DISAPPOINTMENT TO FOLLOW.
Ruth Randall Says:
November 27th, 2009 at 7:14 pm
We have had our unit now for about 2 years. 2 days out of warranty last November (2 days, still makes me furious), we got the dreaded E74 error on our unit. I immediately called microsoft per the website instructions and talked with a representative who told me that my unit was out of warranty by 2 days, but they would gladly fix it for $99.00. He said I would have to send the unit in to the company, and being that it was close to the hoidays he couldn’t promise that we would have it back by Christmas. We had gotten our boys new games for the Xbox for Christmas, so after talking with my husband we decided to have someone local that works on the units fix it so we could have it back by Christmas. We had it fixed and it worked good for about a year, now we are having the same problem with it again, plus our wireless controllers will not sync with the unit anymore. Now I find out that they are covering this problem with an extended warranty? I really hate Microsoft right now. If I had known that they were going to cover this, we would never have had someone else try to fix it, and it angers me further to read all these same issues from other xbox owners, over and over and over again, and it took them this long to admit there was an issue with the unit and not the owners. GG Microsoft, keep up the good work! NOT!!!!

[TechBlogWatch] Best of Blogs für den 15. April 2009 | TechFieber | Hot Gadget Blog. Smart Tech News. Says:
April 14th, 2009 at 11:09 pm
[…] E74: Microsoft Recognizes the Xbox 360’s Other Problem […]
E74 and Red Ring of Death: Same But Different | Technologizer Says:
April 17th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
[…] an unnamed Microsoft representative discussed the latest console-killing error, which on Tuesday became covered under the same three-year warranty Microsoft issued to fix the Red Ring of […]
RROD Explained: You Play Too Much | Technologizer Says:
August 31st, 2009 at 3:54 pm
[…] issues. The company said earlier this year that the worst troubles are behind us, only to see new problems spring up. We’ve never heard an official failure rate (estimates vary, wildly), and after all this […]

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